Bridgettine Sisters

“I WILL PLANT A NEW VINEYARD: YOU WILL BRING TO IT NEW VINES, I WILL FERTILIZE THEM WITH MY GRACE AN THEY WILL PUT FORTH NEW SHOOTS”. With these words, Christ called Bridget of Sweden to found a new religious Order. Bridget found her calling to serve Christ after the death of her husband, Ulf Gudmarsson in 1346. She set off to ask the Pope’s approval for the Rule of her religious order which was fulfilled twenty years later as on 5th August 1370 by Pope Urban V, who gave an official recognition to the order. This new vineyard of Christ became a massive trunk from which grew many new shoots starting with the foundation of the monastery of Vadstena in Sweden and was soon followed several other foundations. These gradually diminished owing to the Civil Reformation of the 16th century which caused grave damages to the Bridgettine Order. In 1911, Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad a Swedish convert to Roman Catholicism worked hard to revive the Order, which was approved as a pontifical Institute by the Holy See on 7th July 1940.

The charism of the Bridgettine sisters is in their generous offering to give glory to God & the service to humanity through prayer, adoration, reparation & ecumenical activities. The sister draw strength for their apostolate through prayer and adoration of the Holy Eucharist, which they believe is the is the Heart of their life. The sisters also carry out their apostolate combined with hospitality, running hostel, Guests houses, dispensaries in rural areas, orphanages, kindergartens, tailoring & computer centres and other welfare centres in accordance to the needs of the people.

The Bridgettine sisters arrived in Mumbai in March 2001 with three sisters staying in a rented house and later on moved to a permanent residence in Shivaji Nagar, Vakola. The sisters actively help is the parish activities, distributing communion, visiting the sick and home bound and providing emotional support to those in need.